Every living thing needs food to live and grow. We get energy for everyday activities from food. Different groups of animals have different food as well as feeding habits. Animals can be divided into different groups based on their feeding habits.
What is feeding?
Feeding refers to a process through which animals obtain their food. The method used for feeding and how the food is used in the body after ingesting determine the evolution of living organisms. This also determines the role of an organism in the food chain and its presence in the ecology of the planet.
What is a food chain?
A food chain refers to a linear sequence or order of living things, dependent on others for food. all food chains start with a green plant or a plant-like organism. apart from the first organism, all the other organisms are consumers. Below is an example of a food chain;
grass- butterfly- frog- snake- eagle
From the food chain above, the grass is eaten by the butterfly, the butterfly is eaten by the frog, the frog is eaten by the snake, and the snake is eaten by the eagle. The grass is a producer while all the others are consumers.
Herbivores
This refers to a group of animals that eat grass, plants, and leaves. Cow, goat, and horse are examples of domestic animals that are herbivores. Zebra, giraffe, and deer are examples of wild animals that are herbivores.
Carnivores
This refers to a group of animals that eat the flesh of other animals only. They do not eat grass, leaves, or plants. Lions, cheetahs, wolves, and eagles are examples of carnivores.
Omnivores
This refers to a group of animals that eat both plants and the flesh of other animals. Bear, dogs, and human beings are examples of omnivores.
Scavengers
This is a group of animals that live by eating dead and decaying food. Examples of scavengers are hyenas and vultures.
FEEDING HABITS OF ANIMALS
Every organism needs food for growth and development. Feeding habits are different between animals. They also depend on factors such as the availability of food in the habitat. Animals’ teeth, mouths, and other body parts help them to eat the type of food that they eat.
Herbivores have flat and strong teeth. They need to do a lot of chewing to break down food into small pieces. Their front teeth are sharp for biting grass and leaves and they are called incisors. They also have flat back teeth called premolars and molars that help to chew.
Some herbivores such as sheep, camel, and cows swallow their food without chewing. After some time, they bring back their food into their mouth and chew it properly. This process is called chewing of the cud.
Some herbivores such as rabbits, squirrels, and mice have two long pairs of front teeth. These two long pairs of teeth are used like chisels to gnaw on hard foods such as nuts. This process is known as gnawing of food.
Carnivores have sharp, long, and pointed teeth to hold and tear flesh. These teeth are known as canines. They also have sharp and large back teeth called premolars and molars to chew flesh. Carnivores do not chew their food properly and they swallow large pieces of flesh.
Some carnivores such as snakes and frogs swallow their food whole without chewing it.
Omnivores have both sharp teeth like carnivores and also have flat teeth like herbivores. The sharp front teeth are known as incisors and they are used to bite food. They also have pointed canines for gripping as well as tearing food. The large and flat back teeth are called premolars and molars for crushing food into small pieces.
Birds have a beak in place of teeth. They do not have teeth to chew their food.
Some animals such as lizards, frogs, and chameleons have long and sticky tongues to catch their prey. For example, when a frog wants to eat an insect, it sticks out its long sticky tongue and catches the insect, it then rolls it back into its mouth.
Insects like butterflies and bees have a long tube to suck the nectar of flowers. Mosquitoes also possess long and pointed tubes to suck their food.
Cats and dogs use their tongue to drink milk and water. This is known as lapping.
We have learned that:
